I think I might be driving my son a little crazy.

My son and I were invited to dinner at a friend’s {socially distant on the deck}. When we got there music was playing. Ange asked if it was too loud or if she should change the 70-80s rock playlist.

Joe {my son} responded,”Nah. He was listening to AC/DC the other day. You never know what will be playing … gospel, rock, Christian, country, classical, contemporary … or from where.”

He is working from home and as he passes through the living room — my temporary office with my feet raised on the recliner — he always asks where we are today.

That might need some explanation. As background music I tune in to TuneIn, an audio streaming service I added to his TV menu. Each day I surf local radio stations around the country. Today I’m in Decatur, IL, listening to WCIC, a Christian playlist to “share hope in Jesus one song, one conversation, one heart at a time. Yesterday I was in the Chicago metro area, although the particular stream was country from northern Indiana, WRIV on its 1390 AM feed. Over the years I hopped cross country, beginning in Alabama, including states I’ve never been to — Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Idaho.

As I surf from city to city and state to state, I will listen to just about anything from Christian to Adult Contemporary, Southern Gospel to Oldies, Classic Rock to Classic Christian, Country to Classical. I don’t like all music – jazz, opera, hip-hop and rap come to mind. I’ll skip right past them. I also don’t like news, preaching or teaching stations. I’ll skip to another venue if that comes on, just as I would if the adult contemporary shifts too frequently to rap, hip hop or, modern synthesized music (?). Except for the top of the hour news, I will also move on if the hosts/hostesses monopolize the airway. After all my listening preference is more white noise than entertainment.

Thanks to SmartPhone apps like I Heart Radio, Pandora, radioPup and TuneIn Radio I can — and often do — listen in the car, especially while traveling. On my most recent trip from Ohio to Kentucky, I had someone on the other side of the gas pump completely confused because I was listening to an Idaho station complete with Coeur d’Alene weather.

My listening preference has given me a new appreciation of the diversity of the country as well as its uniformity. Many stations use “canned” content, but just as many have original content streaming.

I like listening to the local news … even if I don’t know the neighborhood. The issues tend to be the same, but the inflection gives a clue to what triggers the audience. For example, in the Midwest, you can’t have a news break without a farm report. Urban news is so different from rural reports.

I didn’t particularly care for Hawaii’s radio choices, but I was fascinated by Alaska. I heard local reports on national issues (a different take from national coverage). While visiting Fairbanks, AK, I was impressed with the calm report, “We might actually see a plus temperature today with little wind.”

My favorite anecdote – also from Alaska – was a call in. The caller said a guy was emptying a van on the highway – television, furniture, etc., – apparently after an argument with his female traveling companion. After the station played a song, the caller called back to report. “Forget about the big screen TV. Somebody took it.”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Don’t let negative people rent a space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out!